Would really appreciate help choosing prep material

[CanadianCamel]

So I've got 5 months to study for the MCAT. I've been reading a lot of the posts here and all of the plans that are stickied but there seems to be a lot of discrepancy about what books should be used. I would really appreciate some help. I made a thread earlier, with maybe a little too much information but only got one response.

I have the 7 book Kaplan 2015 MCAT series and I will be looking at this for content review but I'm confused on how I'm suppose to learn and retain 2000 pages of information. I didn't do so hot in my pre-reqs and I didn't retain much of the knowledge either. Anyways, many people recommend TBR and some recommend EK, TPR and NS. I'm kind of a crafty person and I should be able to get my hands on any supplemental books necessary.

There seems to be a lot of crave of the TPR psych/sociology book and the TPR hyperlearning book/EK 101 for verbal. There also seems to be a lot of people recommending TBR for the Ochem and Biochem. It's proving to be a difficult decision to make, especially since I have the Kaplan books and I'm not sure how I would mix that into the bunch. Is there a better way of determining what prep material would suite me best ? I'm kind of leaning towards EK since it is straight forward and seems like I would have a easier time following along and getting the basics down without all the extra in-depth knowledge the TBR has but I figured I'd get a final consult.

I would really appreciate the help. I'm trying to have a schedule set for November 1st. Also, I was planning on starting last November so I registered for my online Kaplan resources (videos, FLs) and it expires November 22nd. Is there something I can do about this? I'm sure the videos are nice and all but I'm more worried about losing access to 3 Full Lengths.

I also have the 2014 EK material. Would it be worth using? Or would it be worth it to get the 9th edition?

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[Avicenna]

Tpr psych and NS psych for practice, tprh verbal, tbr for physics chem and orgo, kap for bio and biochem.

See my post history cause i sell some of those for outrageous prices

 

[CanadianCamel]

So no EK books? No EK 1001's/101 for passages/verbal?

 

[CanadianCamel]

I'm thinking of going through the Kaplan Books, and mainly skimming/catching the essence of the pages over the next 8 weeks. That way from now until January 1st I can do content review because going through the outline by the AAMC, I recognize but cannot recall any of the information at all. I fear I would get the lowest grade possible if I were to take a FL at the moment. Then from January 1st to April, I can do a 3 month schedule where I go through TBR or EK. How does that sound ?

 

[Swagster]

There is a time tested great plan with the SN2ed method. Hundreds of SDN posters have used that and gotten amazing scores. It's still the best one out there (with a few updates).

The books he's chosen are the best. Here is what you should be using.

Psychology and Sociology
EK and TBR (review and passages/questions from both)
Khan (passages after you've reviewed)

Biochemistry/Biology
EK for review if you know your stuff well OR TBR for review if you need more help
TBR for passages (they are the best)

Organic Chemistry/Biochemistry
TBR for review and passages (their new books are great)

General Chemistry (they didn't change this much for 2015)
EK for review if you know your stuff well OR TBR for review if you need more help
TBR for passages

Physics (they didn't change this much for 2015)
TBR for review
TBR for passages

CARS (they didn't change this much for 2015)
EK for strategies
TPR and EK for passages

Extras
Khan videos as needed
Khan passages (especially for psychology and sociology)
TPR Workbook

 

[ieatshrimp24]

Just my opinion as someone who took the MCAT twice and succeeded the second time.

Use TBR if you already got content down and need a challenge. They got the most passages and will definitely make you think conceptually. Use TPR if you need a foundation for content and great passages.

I used TBR the first time I took the MCAT, but you know what, it was pointless going through all the passages and reviewing them. It's a confidence breaker to get more than half the questions wrong on EVERY passage and fooling yourself into thinking "Yes, if I just do all these passages and learn from my mistakes, then I'll definitely be ready for the real deal."

I switched to TPR the second go around and, while they are less conceptual than TBR (especially for bio), I actually understood what was going on in their passages and felt I was actually accumulating knowledge from my mistakes. It's not to say that TPR has "easy" passages. And it's not to say that TBR does a poor job. They're both fantastic if they suit your needs (are you really smart or do you need to refresh your brain?) I for whatever reason felt that I learned more from TPR without getting bogged down by extraneous material that is highly unlikely to make the test.

What's more important to you: (1) studying difficult material in the hopes that you will be able to make sense of it all in time for the test or (2) understanding the most necessary foundational concepts required for the test?

 

[iamsunny]

There is a time tested great plan with the SN2ed method. Hundreds of SDN posters have used that and gotten amazing scores. It's still the best one out there (with a few updates).

The books he's chosen are the best. Here is what you should be using.

Psychology and Sociology
EK and TBR (review and passages/questions from both)
Khan (passages after you've reviewed)

Biochemistry/Biology
EK for review if you know your stuff well OR TBR for review if you need more help
TBR for passages (they are the best)

Organic Chemistry/Biochemistry
TBR for review and passages (their new books are great)

General Chemistry (they didn't change this much for 2015)
EK for review if you know your stuff well OR TBR for review if you need more help
TBR for passages

Physics (they didn't change this much for 2015)
TBR for review
TBR for passages

CARS (they didn't change this much for 2015)
EK for strategies
TPR and EK for passages

Extras
Khan videos as needed
Khan passages (especially for psychology and sociology)
TPR Workbook

What's the difference between the 2011 TBR organic chemistry book and the new and updated 2015 TBR organic chemistry book? Is it pretty much the same content?

 

[Dr. Trenb]

What's the difference between the 2011 TBR organic chemistry book and the new and updated 2015 TBR organic chemistry book? Is it pretty much the same content?

I believe the major updates came with Biology and Organic chemistry (in addition to a new psychology book).

 

[giaolike]

They got the most passages and will definitely make you think conceptually. Use TPR if you need a foundation for content and great passages.

 

[CanadianCamel]

@ieatshrimp24
I definitely need a foundation and from what I'm reading, TPR sounds like what I should be doing.
I'm still not sure what I should do with the Kaplan 2015 books that I purchased. Should I use them in the meantime until I can get TPR for January-April before the test date (April 1st)?
Also, should I go with TPR for every subject or are there others like EK that excel in certain areas?

@Swagster
I'm seeing a lot of TBR within that set up and I'm being told not to do that if I need a better foundation. Could I substitute the TPR with TPR or maybe even supplement TPR with Kaplan, since I already own the books.

 

[deleted446889]

@ieatshrimp24
I definitely need a foundation and from what I'm reading, TPR sounds like what I should be doing.
I'm still not sure what I should do with the Kaplan 2015 books that I purchased. Should I use them in the meantime until I can get TPR for January-April before the test date (April 1st)?
Also, should I go with TPR for every subject or are there others like EK that excel in certain areas?

@Swagster
I'm seeing a lot of TBR within that set up and I'm being told not to do that if I need a better foundation. Could I substitute the TPR with TPR or maybe even supplement TPR with Kaplan, since I already own the books.

I'm not sure you have it right on TBR, most people I've seen say it is easily the best source to build a strong foundation. The only drawback is that it is a bit too thorough and not conducive to people who already have strong foundations.

 

[CanadianCamel]

@wildcherry
Then what do you recommend? I'm having a hard time picking a schedule because a lot of people have mixed reports about sources (i.e. TBR in this case). I do own the Kaplan Books and I also have the EK pre-2015 and 2015 pdfs.

 

[Dr. Trenb]

@CanadianCamel Since you're not sure about either TPR and TBR, why don't you order one BR book of one section (physics), and one PR book for another section (general chemistry) and see for yourself. You can purchase an older version on amazon for around 20-30$ (2011-2014). Read through it and see which one suits you better. Once you decide on one, you can purchase the full set.

 

[mly88]

I'm sorry but what is TPR and where can I purchase the books to study for MCAT in 2016?!


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[asdf123g]

I'm sorry but what is TPR and where can I purchase the books to study for MCAT in 2016?!


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The princeton review.

 

[centyrone]

I believe the major updates came with Biology and Organic chemistry (in addition to a new psychology book).

Do you know if the passages are different between the two books. I am finishing up content review and would like to get the TBR books just to use for passages. However I need to know if the new books have different passages than the 2014 or earlier versions. If they are different I might get both and hope I can sell them once I'm done for a reasonable return. Or if they are the same passages just different content I will only purchase the 2014 version.

 

[Dr. Trenb]

Do you know if the passages are different between the two books. I am finishing up content review and would like to get the TBR books just to use for passages. However I need to know if the new books have different passages than the 2014 or earlier versions. If they are different I might get both and hope I can sell them once I'm done for a reasonable return. Or if they are the same passages just different content I will only purchase the 2014 version.

As far as subject of hydrocarbons in orgo book (chapter 5), they added new passages and eliminated others. Is it worth buying a new set? I don't know. I can't exactly say how many new passages are added because I have not finished going through all the material yet. If you want, you could ask @BerkReviewTeach or call their headquarter. I called and the agent I spoke to told me out of their entire set, organic chemistry and biology had the most changes.